'Longhorn' Dinosaur Fossil Discovered in Utah

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The fossilized remains of a newly identified dinosaur with horns
so long they would put Triceratops to shame has been discovered
in the Utah desert.

The new species, described today in the journal Proceedings of
the Royal Society B, was dubbed Nasutoceratops, which
translates to "big-nosed horned face." The giant beast lived
roughly 76 million years ago and was part of the ceratopsid
group, which consists of plant-eating, rhinoceros-like dinos,
including Triceratops.

"It has the biggest nose and the longest horns of any of the
ceratopsids," said study co-author Mark Loewen, a paleontologist
at the University of Utah. "It's the Texas Longhorn of the
ceratopsids." [ See
Images of the Longhorn of Dinos ]

Ancient micro-continent

Though the region is parched now, during the Cretaceous
Period, when Nasutoceratops lived, Utah was
full of dense, leafy forests, streams and swamps that made it
resemble the Mississippi Delta of today.

At that time, a shallow sea split North America in two, and many
animals lived on a long, skinny continent called Laramidia that
spanned from Alaska all the way to Mexico. The narrow strip of
coastline was a hotbed of dinosaur diversity. During this time
period, many of the iconic species, from duckbilled dinosaurs to
the biggest
Tyrannosaurus rex, flourished.

The emergence of flowering plants several million years earlier
probably allowed mega-herbivores, such as the imposing
Triceratops, to evolve from smaller herbivores that were
about the size of a house cat, Loewen said.

Loewen and his colleagues unearthed two specimens several years
ago in the barren deserts of
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah. One of
the specimens included a mostly intact, 6-foot-long (1.8 meters)
skull, along with parts of the creature's spine and a few
fragments of its legs. The other specimen contained just a few
fragments of skull.

The team dubbed the animal Nasutoceratops titusi, with
the second part of the name honoring paleontologist Alan Titus,
who works at the monument.

The majestic herbivore was roughly 16 feet (5 m) long, and a
relatively austere frill with little ornamentation surrounding
its head. The dinosaur had a long, flaring snout and absurdly
long, curving horns that stretched almost to the tip of its nose.

Similar to modern-day elk or deer, Nasuceratops likely
used its outlandish horns to deter rivals and deflect predators.
But the main purpose of the ornamental headgear was probably
sexual selection, Loewen said. [ Album:
Animals' Amazing Headgear ]

"Mates thought they were sexy," Loewen told LiveScience.

The researchers have no idea whether these specimens were male or
female, so the scientists can't say whether such ornamental
headgear was unique to males, as is common in modern-day deer.
It's also possible that similar horns adorned the heads of both
sexes, as is the case with modern water buffalo, Loewen said.